A Year In Review
by appleturnoversandgrilledcheese
Summary: Swan Queen. Set after the diner scene in 2x10. No Hook/Cora. Slow burn.
1. Chapter 1

A Year In Review

Swan Queen. Set after the diner scene in 2x10. No Hook/Cora.

Chapter 1: 

Regina Mills briskly walked down the streets of Storybrooke towards her house. She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "I cannot believe I apologized to Emma Swan", she thought. She arrived at her house and let herself in. She walked into the kitchen to make herself a cup of chamomile tea and went to her study to go sit down. "Why did I apologize to the very woman who tried to steal my son?" she asked herself. Then she remembered the look on Emma's face when she had harshly told the blonde she wasn't a mother. That's why she apologized. She would have had the same look on her face if someone had said that to her. She took a sip of her tea. Emma had invited her to celebrate with them at Granny's and she appreciated the invite. Mind you though, she still did not have her son, but she would figure that out tomorrow. She started to walk up the stairs to her bedroom when there was a knock on the door. She turned around to open the door and found the blonde and her son on the other side.

"Hey" said Emma.

"Miss Swan, to what do I owe the pleasure?" asked Regina.

"We just finished up at Granny's and I was about to take the kid to my place but he said he wanted to stay with you" explained Emma.

"Is…is that true?" Regina looked at Henry.

"Yeah Mom, I know you were trying to protect me but you also listened to me and had faith in me. When I said you changed I really meant it. I miss you," said Henry as he wrapped himself around Regina.

"I missed you too Henry" said Regina as she looked down at him with watery eyes.

"Well I guess I'll be going then," said Emma as she turned to leave.

"Thank you Emma" said Regina.

"No problem."

The two women looked at each other again before Emma spun around and walked down towards the street. Regina turned to her son as she ushered him in the house. "Now Henry, why don't you tell me all about Granny's, I'll make you some hot chocolate while you explain" said Regina with a smile.

"Really Mom?" asked the boy.

"Yes, and I might just have some whipped cream and cinnamon lying around.".

"You're the greatest!".

Regina laughed as she started gathering ingredients for the drink.

"Thank you Henry, so are you." said Regina as she grabbed a mug and started preparing the drink. When she was finished she handed to mug to Henry and the two of them went to go sit down in the living room.

Emma Swan was awakened the next morning by the shrill ringing of her phone.

"Hello?" she said groggily.

"Emma hi, its David, sorry to wake you but…"

"You don't need to finish that sentence, let me guess Pongo ran off again."

"Sadly yes, sorry I know it's early and you and Mary Margaret just got back but you have the knack of finding people. Or in this case dogs" said David.

"No problem, I can handle it."

"Are you sure?"

"In the last few days I've faced ogres, pirates, and Regina's pyscho mother," laughed Emma. "Finding a dog should be relatively easy and anyways I want to get back to how it was before I got sucked into a magical portal.

"Alright, bye Emma" said David.

"Bye David" replied Emma as she hung up and rolled out of bed. She was lacing up her boots a few minutes later when Mary Margaret walked into the kitchen.

'Emma, you're up early! Did Pongo get away again?" asked the brunette

"Yeah he did. Are you going to school today?"

"Yes, I figured the best way to calm people down is to settle back into a regular routine. And trust me I had a lot of experience calming people down in the Enchanted Forest" said Mary Margaret. An awkward silence followed as Emma realized what Mary Margaret meant.

"Calming people down after Regina's threats?" she asked.

"Emma, she didn't exactly make our lives a picnic, and when you first came here you didn't get along with her either," remarked Mary Margaret.

"You think we get along?"

"Well you're not threatening each other and you are acting civil. Anyways don't you have a dog to catch?"

"Oh crap, see you later" said Emma as she walked towards the door.

"Wait! Do you want a mug of coffee to go?"

"No thanks! I'll be good. Bye!" shouted Emma from the hallway.

Regina Mills was in her kitchen making herself a cup of coffee when her son bounded down the stairs.

"Hey mom!"

"Good morning Henry. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah I did! I was wondering if I could go to school today."

"Are you sure you're up to going?" asked Regina.

"Yeah, Emma told me stories about ogres and pirates so I can't wait to tell the other kids"

"Alright well let me make you a lunch and then we can be on our way. There's toast for breakfast if you would like some" said Regina as she turned towards the fridge.

"Thanks Mom!" replied Henry as he went to go give his mom a hug.

Emma Swan most definitely had made a huge mistake when she had turned down Mary Margaret's coffee order. She had spent thirty minutes chasing dog through the forest and had gotten mud all over herself and numerous twigs in her hair. She had gone back to the apartment thinking she would have a relaxing shower but lost her key. She was walking to the Sheriff's station when a loud horn shook her out of her daze. She looked up to see a black Mercedes pull up beside her.

"My my Miss Swan, you sure do look wonderful today. New conditioner?" said Regina with smirk as she stepped out of the car.

"Yes Madam Mayor, it's called the I Just Chased A Dog Through The Woods And I'm Exhausted Look. You should try it." said Emma.

"I prefer my own polished and refined look, but it certainly does suit you."

"How's Henry" asked Emma as she ignored the brunette's previous comment.

"He's fine, I just dropped him off at school. He's quite eager to tell his classmates about your stories" replied Regina.

"It wasn't that big of a deal," said Emma as she yawned.

"Miss Swan, you lived through an encounter with my mother, I would say that is a feat on its own"

"Yeah she's kinda scary."

"I'm quite aware of that fact" said Regina in a clipped tone.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

"Its fine. Where are you headed to?" asked Regina.

" I was going to go home but I lost my key. So I was just heading to the sheriff's station so I could maybe clean myself up there. I need to stop by Granny's and get coffee too at some point or I'm going to fall over."

"Well Miss Swan we could not have Sheriffs falling over. I still have fresh coffee at my house, you may have a cup if you would like to, and you could get some of those branches out of your hair."

"You actually are inviting me into your house?" asked Emma.

"I certainly do not have to. I was only repaying the invite from last night when you Invited me to the diner."

"Yeah but last night I invited you to the diner not my place."

'Are you going to come or not Miss Swan?" said Regina with a slight raise of a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah I am" replied Emma.

The car pulled up to 108 Mifflin Street and the two women got out of the car. Regina unlocked her door and Emma followed her inside.

"Boots" said Regina.

'What?" asked Emma.

"Take off your boots, I don't need mud tracking in my house."

"Oh yeah sorry." said Emma as she removed her boots.

'You can use the bathroom down the hall on the left. I will go prepare the coffee." said Regina as she turned towards the kitchen.

"Wait Regina!"

"Yes, Miss Swan?"

"I, uh don't have clean clothes. Do you think I could borrow a pair of yours?"

'Absolutely not. I will not have you soiling my perfect clothing. Come here" said Regina. Emma walked towards her and Regina waved her hand around the blonde. A cloud of purple smoke disappeared and the blond found herself with clean clothes on and neatly brushed hair.

"Okay, you totally need to teach me that sometime."

"What do you mean?" asked the brunette.

"Oh yeah I forgot to tell you, I have magic. Your mom tried to rip my heart out but her hand got like stuck in my chest and then a blast of white magic light shot out and threw her away" said Emma.

"She tried to rip your heart out?" asked Regina with a sour look on her face.

'Yeah well actually she meant to rip Mary Margaret's but I saved her. Anyways yeah I guess I have magic" said the blonde with a shrug.

"The Savior, of course you do." Regina turned and went to go heat the coffee up and Emma followed.

'So do you think you could teach me" asked Emma when she was sitting at the table.

'Why on earth would you want me to teach you and why do you think I would want or have the time. I have a town to run and Henry to look after."

"I thought you could teach me because Henry said you are trying to change. If he trusts you, I also trust you. Plus I would rather you teach me instead of the Blue Fairy."

Regina stopped and stared at Emma. "You trust me?" she asked.

"Yeah, I do" replied Emma.

"Very well. I will not make this easy for you and it will be whenever I find the time." said Regina as she passed a mug of coffee over to the blonde.

"I also thought we should have a schedule for Henry."

"And why would we need a schedule for my son?"

"I honestly meant it before when I said I never wanted to take him away from you. I know he is your son, and you raised him, but I am a part of his life. I just figured maybe I could pick him up from school, hang out with him for a few hours, and also maybe spend Saturdays with him. Unlike most people in this town, I actually do respect you as a mother Regina. God knows I certainly am not one, but you did a great job, because Henry is a wonderful kid." said the blonde with a honest smile.

"I suppose that would work out fine. I appreciate what you said. Thank you Emma." said Regina.

"The coffee was great too by the way" said Emma.

"Everything I make is great." replied Regina with a smirk.

"I have to get back to work but call me whenever youre ready to have a lesson." said Emma as she turned to leave.

"Have a good day at work Miss Swan."

"You too Regina. Bye!" Emma smiled and turned to walk down the steps.

Regina closed the door to her house and pressed herself against the back of it. Did she really just agree to magic lessons with that infuriating blonde? And a schedule for Henry? Emma's words had certainly been heartfelt, and she felt a the ghost of a smile pull at her lips before she regained her neutral expression, smoothed down her hair, and walked into her study.

Reviews are always greatly appreciated. I'll hopefully have the next chapter up in a few days. Happy Reading!


	2. Chapter 2

A Year In Review

The story starts in September by the way. This next chapter is also in September. I'll mention when it changes months. _Flashbacks are italicized._

Chapter 2:

Storybrooke quickly settled back into a regular routine. People gathered in Granny's for their daily lunch, children went back to school, citizens returned to their jobs, and the Mayor's office continued to remind the Sheriff's station about rules, regulations, and paperwork. Emma Swan was swivelling in her chair at the Sheriff's station trying to figure out how she could improve on her paper airplane design when her cell phone rang.

"Hi, Sheriff's station, how can I help you?" asked the Emma. A rich, velvety voice that the blonde had frequently heard in the last few days came through on the line.

"Good afternoon Sheriff Swan. Am I correct in assuming that you still have not completed the paperwork that I gave you Monday at the town meeting?" replied the brunette in her mayoral tone.

"Jesus Regina, no I have not completed the paperwork that you called about on Tuesday, Wednesday and today. Thank you for reminding me…again." said Emma as she rolled her eyes. "You said at the meeting it wasn't due till Friday, so if you could stop nagging me I'll have it done for Friday like you asked."

" I find that the only way for you to be able to perform your duties correctly is having me remind you Miss Swan. I'm not upset though, I certainly wouldn't expect much from the daughter of two Charming idiots" said Regina with her usual sass. "Alright Madame Mayor, I'll have it done early on Friday because you asked so nicely" shot back Emma.

"Perfect, thank you so much Miss Swan," replied the brunette in her sickly sweet tone.

"Um, Regina, I was just wondering if maybe this Friday we could also have another magic lesson. Only if that's okay with you though" said the blonde shyly. Regina Mills thought back to last Friday when they had a previous magic lesson. The blonde had arrived promptly at the mayoral mansion at 3:00 with Henry in tow.

" _Hello Miss Swan" said Regina when she answered the door._

" _Hi, I uh brought Henry," replied the blonde._

" _I hoped that you would Miss Swan." Regina turned to look at her son. "Hello Henry how was your day today?"_

" _It was so great Mom! We learned about how plants grow and how to care for them and I made some new friends who let me play soccer with them," replied the boy with a grin. "That sounds wonderful. Maybe sometime you could help me with my gardening." said Regina as she smiled and closed the door behind the blonde and her son._

" _Henry, you may go start your homework. I set out crackers, dip and juice in the kitchen if you would like."_

" _Thanks Mom, and thanks Emma for picking me up" said Henry as he headed towards the kitchen._

" _No problem kid!" called Emma after him. She turned to face the brunette. "So um are we gonna start?"_

" _Follow me." Regina beckoned for the other woman to follow her into the study. Regina went to the bookshelf and pulled a few books off the shelf. "The majority of my spell books and scrolls are in my vault but this should be enough to get you started._

" _We're not going to levitate something?" asked the blonde with a pout._

" _Magic is not a joke Miss Swan. I'm sure you are aware that all magic comes with a price. Before you can actually make anything happen you need to revise incantations and practice reading spells. You are already an idiot, and I do not really need an idiot who cannot control her magic running around my town" replied Regina. The two women went and sat down in the study. Emma read through the books while Regina completed paperwork._

" _But Regina, why would I ever need to know the incantation for sharpening a pencil?" asked the blonde after a few minutes._

" _No more questions Miss Swan, please just read," said the brunette as she looked up from the paper in front of her. A half hour passed in silence before Emma spoke up again. "An incantation for making people bark? That's weird."_

" _I think, Miss Swan, that we are done for today" said Regina as she stood up from her desk and walked over to the blonde._

" _Alright, let me just say bye to Henry, and Ill be gone." Emma walked up the stairs to the boy's bedroom and then walked down a few minutes later. "Thanks for agreeing to this Regina, it was nice." said Emma as she went to go put on her boots._

" _You're welcome Miss Swan."_

" _Bye Regina!" said Emma as she turned towards the door._

" _Goodbye." Regina shut the door behind the blonde and made her way upstairs. She gently pushed the door open to her son's room to see him lying on his bed flipping through a comic book. "Hello Henry" said Regina as she went to go sit down beside him. Henry sat up and turned to face his mother._

" _Hi Mom! How were the magic lessons."_

" _Miss Swan certainly isn't the most patient person in the world."_

" _Neither are you Mom," laughed Henry. Regina turned and gave him an eyebrow raise but replied: "No, you are right neither am I. I have carrots in the sink that need to be cut for the stew tonight. Would you like to help me?"_

" _Yeah sure" replied Henry as he closed his comic book and stood up. Do you think we could have hot chocolate after supper?" asked her son with a cheeky grin. "Yes, Henry that's fine," said Regina as she laughed and followed her son downstairs._

"I suppose Miss Swan if you would like to come over next Friday again at 3:00 you may" said Regina as she answered the blonde's question.

'Yeah that sounds great Regina!" See you Friday!" said Emma as she hung up the phone. The blonde is surprised at the Mayor's politeness but she's not complaining, she gets to spend a lot more time with her son and Regina isn't trying to run her out of town so that's a plus.

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The next Friday, Regina Mills heard Emma Swan's car pull up to her house at a quarter to 3. She looked out of the window beside the door and watched the blonde and her son laughing over something. A few minutes later the pair got out and walked up to the house. Regina opened the door to greet them.

"Hello Henry! How are you?" asked Regina.

"Great! Emma was just showing me her impression of Darth Vader," said Henry with a laugh as he went to go give his brunette mother a hug.

"What a wonderful skill, Miss Swan" said Regina as she looked at Emma.

"I have others," said the blonde with a smirk.

"I'm sure you do. Being an idiot is probably your most prominent skill though" replied Regina as she turned to face Henry.

"Henry, your snack is in the kitchen..."

"Yep! Thanks Mom and bye Emma!" said Henry as he ran off towards the kitchen.

"Kid's excited about crackers?" remarked Emma.

"It's apple slices and peanut butter today. Unlike you I like to have variety in mine and my son's diet."

"You're giving him apples? You don't have the best track record with them Madame Mayor." Regina rolled her eyes. "And you don't have the best track record with families but you managed perfectly fine. "

"I'm going to take that as a compliment" said Emma with a grin. Regina waved her hand around herself and the blonde, and as the purple smoke disappeared they found themselves in Regina's vault.

"Today we will be learning more basic spells. Do not touch anything " said the brunette as she went to go walk towards a trunk. "How am I supposed to learn magic if I cant touch anything" asked the blonde as she trailed behind.

"The same way I did with Rumple. We are going to create a solid foundation and then build your skills from the ground up. Regina turned around to find Emma toying with some magical item: "I said don't touch anything." The blonde gave a sigh and set the object down. The older woman pulled out a spell book and gave it to Emma.

"What language is this? Spanish?"

"We're not making tapas, we're making magic." said Regina as she rolled her eyes. 'Its elfish…or half-elfish."

"I can't do this! Is this what Rumple taught you? Think back to your training what other methods did he use?"

"Rumple was a bully. He didn't suffer fools and he certainly didn't coddle his students. And if he tried to teach you how to swim and you couldn't you drowned" retorted the brunette with an exasperated glare.

"Drown?"

Regina looked at Emma before replying 'that's it!"

"That's what?" questioned the blonde. Regina gave a smile and they were once again enveloped in purple smoke. When it cleared Emma found herself on the middle of a rickety rope bridge that was hanging over a ravine.

"What the hell are you doing!" asked the blonde as the bridge began to sway.

"Teaching you how two swim" responded the brunette with a smirk.

"Are you out of your mind!"

"Every time you have used your magic or exhibited your power its been spurred by your instincts. So today, we're going to push those instincts, until you master them"

"A little reading doesn't sound so bad now," replied the blonde as the looked down at the pit of the ravine.

"You can stop me," said Regina as she raised an eyebrow.

"Stop you from what?"

"This" The brunette waved her hand and suddenly pieces of the bridge started breaking off, and the ropes began to sway even more.

"What the hell are you doing!" screamed the blonde.

"Making the bridge collapse." replied Regina with another smirk. "You can either stop it or die." The planks of the bridge broke away again and Emma found herself hanging on the only the ropes on either side.

"Regina enough! Stop this!"

"No you stop it! No more hand holding! You have to do this. Reach into your gut. You know you can do this. Its inside you Emma. Save the bridge, save yourself." Just after Regina said those last words the frayed ropes gave way and Emma Swan fell to the bottom of the ravine. Regina's breath caught in her throat and she looked down with a horrified look on her face before she saw the blonde float up on what looked like a pile of the bridge pieces thrown together in one big ball.

"Did I just do that?" asked Emma as she stepped the ground beside Regina.

"Yes, when all I wanted was for you to retie the rope."

"Its like you said, instinct. Why are you pissed? I did it. Why does it matter how?"

Regina gave an aggravated sigh at the blond before replying " You think I'm mad because you didn't listen to me? I'm mad because look at all this potential inside you and you've been wasting it." Emma looked at the brunette with wide eyes. "You think I have potential?

"Yes I do. You're a very strong and capable woman. You have to become confident in your abilities if you want to master them though. " said Regina as she waved her hand and the pair arrived back at the mayoral mansion.

"Thank you Regina" said the blonde as she smiled. Regina gave a small smile in return before replying " I think we should leave it at that for today. I will see you next Friday?"

"As long as there are no rope bridges, yeah that sounds great."

"I don't make any promises Miss Swan. "

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Bye Regina!"

"Bye Miss Swan." Emma shut the door behind her and walked up to her bug and unlocked it. She sat down and looked back at the mansion from her window. Regina had pushed her today, and she hadn't been prepared but then again nobody had ever pushed or encouraged her for anything. Regina had even said that she had potential, which was the first time someone had said that to her. The blonde took out her keys, put them into the ignition, and drove off with a smile on her face.

Sorry this took so long to upload. I just had to put the bridge scene in because it's one of my favourite SwanQueen scenes. Reviews are always greatly appreciated. Happy Reading!


	3. Chapter 3

A Year In Review

This next chapter is in October. I'm Canadian, so I was debating putting Thanksgiving into the October chapters, but decided to switch it to November so I have more material for the November chapters. _Flashbacks are italicized._

The crisp October air blew through the streets of Storybrooke, and the residents had decided to celebrate Halloween this year, mostly because of Emma's enthusiasm for the holiday. The blonde had gathered a town meeting to tell people about the event, and everyone agreed that this would be a fun thing to do. Halloween was approaching in two weeks and there was a lot of work to be done. Decorations needed to be made and hung up, candy needed to be bought, and both the children and their parents were going crazy trying to think of costumes. Some people still had questions to about the holiday, which Emma was more than happy to explain. She thought back to last week at the meeting when Archie Hopper had asked what was the point of scaring people:

" _I just don't understand Emma, why is there a holiday just for scaring people," asked the man. Others hummed in agreement around him._

" _Its not just about scaring. It started out as a celebration for the end of harvest season. People thought that on this day spirits also could come back from the dead, and that they sometimes damaged crops. So people dressed up as these spirits and went door to door collecting food to offer up to the spirits, and I guess it just evolved from there. Its more just a holiday for the kids now though" explained Emma._

" _And such an immature person like yourself should fit right in" drawled the mayor as she walked into the hall. More then a dozen heads swivelled around to look at the woman who had walked into the middle of the room._

' _Regina! What are you doing here?" said a shocked Emma._

" _I am the mayor of this town, and as such I know about everything that goes on around the town. For some reason though this little gathering wasn't brought to my attention. Would you care to explain why Miss Swan?" asked the brunette as she gave a signature eyebrow raise at the blonde._

" _I was going to tell you Madam Mayor, but I figured you wouldn't be interested in helping out, plus this is just a preliminary meeting," explained the blonde._

" _Will this event need to be funded by the town?"_

" _It will, but that's what I was going to talk to you about later. Its not much, we just need decorations, candy refreshments and a place to hold the event._

" _And what if I say no" challenged the brunette. The residents of Storybrooke looked back and forth between the two women as they stood in the middle of the hall and argued._

" _If you said no, Henry would be disappointed," said Emma as she locked eyes with the older woman._

" _Don't you dare use the Henry card on me" snapped Regina._

' _Its true though he would" said Emma as she shrugged. "Come on Regina, the town needs something to boost their spirits"_

" _Can they not wait until Christmas?" Emma gave a strange look at that remark before replying; "This would be a great opportunity for everyone to get together, have fun, and its great for the children to play and hang out with each other."_

" _Very well, I will give you the funding for the event. As for refreshments I can consult with Mrs. Lucas. If you need a venue you may use the town hall. Let it be clear than other than helping out financially and supervising, I will not be participating in these childish activities." The mayor gave a glare at the residents before waving her arms and disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke. The residents turned back to face Emma as they worked on the details for the event._

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Emma had kept up with weekly magic lessons from Regina every Friday. She had learned basic object transportation and didn't hesitate to show everyone her skills when she got the chance. The following Friday after the meeting the blonde knocked on the door to the mayoral mansion. The brunette opened the door and gave Emma a puzzled look.  
"Where's my son Miss Swan?"

"He's staying at his friend Joshua's house. Joshua's mom will drop him off at 5:30. I was going to call you when I met him at school but your house isn't far away so I figured I would tell you in person, I hope that's okay" explained Emma.

"Yes, thank you, now stop babbling and do come in," said Regina as the blonde walked in and she shut the door behind her. Regina turned to walk to the study and stopped and turned back around when she found the blonde still standing in the front entrance with a determined squint on her face. Regina leaned against the doorframe of the front entrance with her arms crossed.

"And what exactly are you trying to accomplish Miss Swan?"

"I'm trying to get my boots off."

"I knew you were an idiot, but I thought you were an idiot who was able to do simple, menial, task."

Emma rolled her eyes and looked up at the woman. "I'm trying to take them off with magic." She focused again and suddenly her boots appeared besides Regina's in the closet.

"It must take you an awfully long time to get dressed in the morning Miss Swan."

"Oh shush, I'm just practicing like you asked me too "replied Emma.

Regina turned to walk away and the blonde hurried after her.

"What are we doing today Madam Mayor"

"We are going to work on using magic as defense. It does come in handy if you don't have weapons available, which has happened in most of the situations I've been in."

"Wait, you've used weapons before? I thought you were all dainty and you wouldn't want to use weapons since you're a Queen and all that" said Emma as she looked at the brunette with wide eyes.

"Just because I was a Queen Miss Swan, does not mean that in the past I didn't like to get my hands dirty. I'm quite adept at using them actually" said Regina as she gave a smirk at the blonde. "Anyhow, magic is much easier and has less physical strain than using weapons. It can also be used from a distance. Regina waved her hand and a vase appeared at the other end of a room.

"Am I supposed to hit that?" asked the blonde

'Preferably, yes. Try not to break anything else Miss Swan."

The blonde closed her eyes and held her palm out in front of her.

"Magic runs on emotion, so think about what emotion you feel when you break it" said Regina. The blonde opened her eyes and an almost unnoticeable small ball of white light appeared in her hand. She groaned in frustration.

"Try again Emma, you almost had it" said the brunette as she clasped her hand around Emma's. "Now think about the emotion, you want to break the vase so think about the pieces shattering from the force of your magic."

Emma closed her eyes and when she opened them the second time, a glowing ball of white light appeared in her palm.

"I did it! " said Emma as she smiled at the brunette.

"Yes, but now you need to focus it at the vase. Throw your hand out but keep your eyes on the vase the whole time.

Emma stared at the vase while she pulled back her hand. She threw the ball of magic and a second later it hit the vase and the vase shattered on the ground.

"Good, I think we should just leave it there for today" said Regina as she noticed the blonde was pressing her fingers against her hand. "Magic isn't physically straining but it can be very emotionally straining especially when you're starting out.

"Thanks for being patient with me Regina, most people aren't." said Emma.

The brunette just nodded and motioned for the blonde to follow her in the kitchen.

"Would you like a glass of water?"

"Yes, thanks," said the blonde as she sat down at the table. Regina filled a glass with water and brought it to the table as she sat down with Emma.

"How are the Halloween preparations coming along?"

"Good, the nuns are making candy, Granny is baking food, and the dwarves are hanging up decorations. Henry still is trying to figure out his costume. "

"What has he thought of so far?"

"I think a wizard, a superhero, or a cowboy," said Emma.

"Do you have a costume yet Miss Swan?" asked Regina

"Yep, I'm gonna be a knight, y'know being the Saviour and all."

"How charming." said Regina in her snarky tone.

Emma rolled her eyes.

"You should dress up Madam Mayor"

"I don't believe in such frivolous activities Miss Swan."

"But it's a lot of fun, plus you would look cute as a pink princess or something"

Regina arched an eyebrow at the blonde.

"Why do you enjoy this holiday for children so much Miss Swan?"

"I guess because it was one holiday that I always got to participate in as a kid. When I dressed up I wasn't a foster kid, I was just another kid having fun with all the other regular children. "said Emma with a shrug. "Plus free candy is always a great thing"

Regina's expression turned unreadable before replying "If rotting your teeth every year is your idea of fun go right ahead. " Suddenly the two women heard the door open, and Henry walked in.

"Hi Mom, Hi Emma" yelled Henry from the foyer. A few minutes later he walked in the kitchen.

"How was Joshua's?" asked Emma

"Good, we played soccer outside for a bit and then read some comics" said Henry as he grabbed himself something to drink and sat down with them.

"Its quite cold out for playing soccer Henry" said Regina as she gave a concerned look at her son.

"I'm fine Mom, I wore my jacket"

"Good. How was school?"

"Okay, I had a math test but otherwise it wasn't too bad. We mostly just talked about Halloween." said Henry.

"I'm sure you did fine kid. Have you decided your costume yet?" asked Emma.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to be a superhero"

"Which one?"

"Probably Spiderman"

"Good pick, he's my favourite too" said Emma.

"Mom?" asked Henry.

"Yes, Henry?" replied Regina.

"I was wondering if you could help me make my costume,"

"Of course Henry, we could do that on Sunday if you would like" said Regina as she smiled at her son.

"Great thanks!" said Henry as he grinned back at her.

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2 weeks passed and finally Halloween afternoon rolled around. The people of Storybrooke were busy getting last minute details together and Regina was helping Henry bake cookies for him to take to the party that night.

"Are you excited Henry?" asked Regina.

"Yeah I am! It's going to be so much fun. Are you sure you don't want to come Mom?"

"Its not really something I think I would enjoy."

"How would you know if you haven't celebrated it before?

"I don't even have a costume"

"You could dress up as a horse rider, I know how much you love horses."

Regina sighed. "I'll come for a little while Henry"

'Thanks Mom!" said Henry as he hugged the brunette.

"Miss Swan is coming at 6, correct?"

"Yep, do you want to come trick-or-treating too?

"I think that's my limit on Halloween festivities" said Regina with a laugh.

Emma came by at 6 to pick Henry up, and the pair went door to door around Storybrooke collecting treats. After they had filled a pillowcase and one pumpkin bucket, they went over to the Halloween celebration at Town Hall.

"Wow Emma! This looks so cool," said Henry as they walked through fake cobwebs hanging from the entrance. Inside, there were jack-o-lanterns, skeletons, refreshments and all of Storybrooke was dressed as one character or another. The pair walked over to David and Mary Margaret who were dressed as Princess Leia and Han Solo.

"Emma! Henry! Your costumes look wonderful," said Mary Margaret.

"Thanks! My mom helped make mine," said Henry

"You look great Henry." said David.

"You guys couldn't have though of more creative costumes?" said Emma.

"Your father introduced me to the series, and I fell in love. They are so heroic," said Mary Margaret.

"Emma can I go see Joshua? He's just over there," asked Henry

"Yeah, just come back in a few minutes, because your mom is coming soon."

"Alright bye" said Henry as he ran over to see his friend.

"Regina is coming?" asked Mary Margaret "I though she didn't believe in celebrating the holiday."

"Henry convinced her to. She should be here any second, I told her to come at 7:15." said Emma as she checked her watch.

'Do you know what she is dressing up as?" asked David.

"No clue, my guess is she's gonna be a Queen."

"I already am a Queen, I didn't need to dress up as one" said Regina as Emma and the Charming's turned around. They looked shocked to see Regina with longer hair pulled into a braid, her makeup softened, and wearing fitted tan leather pants, knee high riding boots, and a sea-green riding coat.

"Expecting the Evil Queen?"

"Yeah, kinda" said Emma as she stared at the brunette "You look great."

"I agree with Emma Regina, you do look wonderful" said Mary Margaret as she also stared at the woman and felt herself transported back into time.

"I'm quite aware how I look Snow" said Regina, although it was less clipped than it would have usually been.

"Hi Mom! Your costume is great!" said Henry as he walked over.

"Thank you Henry"

"Not as great as mine though, right?" said Emma with a grin.

"It's a tie" replied Henry

"Good answer" said David with a laugh.

"It is a nice costume Miss Swan." said Regina as she looked a the blonde who had her hair braided similar to Regina's and a shining silver pleated skirt with a matching top and boots. "You look less grungy than usual"

"Thank you Regina, glad you like it" said Emma with a smirk of her own.

"Can we got get some snacks and punch" asked Henry.

"Sure" said the blonde. "Want to come along Regina?" asked Emma.

Yes, I guess I will" said the brunette as she wrapped her arm around her son and the trio walked to go get refreshments.

"Its good that they are becoming friends" said David as he watched them leave.

"I don't know if I would say friends yet, but they do have some sort of a connection" said Mary Margaret.


	4. Chapter 4

A Year In Review

This next chapter is in November. _Flashbacks are italicized._

It was a Saturday afternoon in November, and Emma Swan had just finished dropping off Henry at Regina's house. She said goodbye to Henry and the brunette woman and walked down to her car. She got in and drove to the apartment. She unlocked to door to find Mary Margaret and David sitting at the kitchen table.

"Emma! How was your day?" asked the pixie-haired woman.

"Good, Henry and I had a lot of fun," said Emma.

"He's getting so tall," said David.

"Yeah I know, its crazy. I'm glad that I get to spend this time with him though. How did your day go today?" asked Emma.

"Just a regular day at the sheriffs station, I'm not complaining though it's nice to have everything settled down," said David.

"As you know, Thanksgiving is next week, so I was doing some festive activities with my students and had told them to bring in something they were thankful for. One boy brought in a real live turkey." said Mary Margaret as she put her head in her hands. "It was a complete disaster, it was just running around the classroom."

Emma and David laughed.

'You should have kept it for our family thanksgiving" said David.

"We're having Thanksgiving?" asked Emma in a pitiful voice. She suddenly realized what she had said and looked down at her boots. "Sorry"

"Emma, honey, you don't need to apologize. We understand and we are here for you know. And yes we are having a Thanksgiving, which will be the best thanksgiving ever." said Mary Margaret as she placed her hand over Emma's.

"Your mother's right, it will be the best Thanksgiving because we have you here to be thankful for," said David.

"Thanks, I appreciate that," said Emma with a light smile.

"We'll have you and Henry over, and it will be wonderful," said Mary Margaret.

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It was Tuesday afternoon and Emma Swan had just picked up Henry from school and they were on their way to Regina's house.

"Don't forget on Thursday I'm picking you up at 5 so we can go to David and Mary Margaret's for Thanksgiving." said Emma as she turned a corner.

"At 5?" asked Henry

"Yeah, why?"

"I was going to eat with my mom"

"I thought you said it was okay for you to come?"

"It is, but I wanted to spend time with my mom, I can't just leave her alone. Wait, do you think we could invite her to our Thanksgiving?" asked Henry. Emma pulled up to the mayoral mansion and parked the car. "I doubt she would want to come, but it probably wouldn't hurt to ask." said Emma. The pair walked up to the door and walked inside.

"Hi Mom! I'm home!" said Henry. Regina Mills walked down the stairs to greet her son.

"Henry, hello" said Regina as she gave her son a hug. They separated and the brunette turned to Emma.

"Thank you for picking him up Miss Swan."

"No, problem, its my pleasure." said Emma as she shifted from one foot to another. Regina looked at her with an arched eyebrow. "What seems to be the matter Miss Swan?"

"Um, I was wondering, if maybe, you would like to come for Thanksgiving with Henry and I on Thursday?"

Regina looked at Emma for a moment before replying. "I'm assuming that your idiot parents are going to be there, in which case I might actually kill one of them before the dinner is finished. Also I have no interest in having a big fancy Thanksgiving dinner. Henry and I will have a small meal here and then he can go over with you"

"Oh, well okay, I guess I'll be leaving," said Emma as she turned to leave.

"Goodbye Miss Swan"

"Bye Regina" The blonde walked to her car as Regina closed the door and faced her son.

"How was school" she said.

"Mom can you please come for Thanksgiving? I don't want you to be lonely, and plus Thanksgiving is a time to spend with family and to be thankful and giving. You deserve to be happy like everyone else too!"

Regina looked at Henry with tears in her eyes. "Oh Henry, I would go but I don't think I'm ready to sit down and call the Charming's family. " said Regina.

"Me and Emma will be there too so you can talk to either of us if you start to get annoyed"

"Would it really make you happy if I came?" asked Regina.

"Yes, I don't want to leave you alone Mom."

"Very well, I will call Miss Swan and let her know I am coming. I'll also let Miss Blanchard know. "

"Thanks Mom!" said the boy as he went to go hug his mom again.

"You're welcome Henry" Regina watched him go upstairs to his room as she walked into the kitchen and grabbed the phone off the counter. She dialled Emma's number and it rung twice before the blonde picked up.

"Sheriff Swan, how can I help you?"

"There has been a change of plans Miss Swan, I will be attending your Thanksgiving celebration tomorrow."

"Regina, that's great, does Mary Margaret know?"

"She's next on my list to call"

"Do you want me to come pick you up?"

"I would prefer to live, so no, I will be driving my own vehicle"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Its not that bad Regina"

"If you say so. I will meet you there at 6. Goodbye Miss Swan."

"Bye" said Emma as Regina hung up the phone. She picked it up again and dialled the schoolteacher's number. After 5 rings the phone was picked up.

'Hello?"  
"Hello Snow. I just wanted to let you know that I will be attending your little Thanksgiving get together for Henry's sake. I assume that will not be a problem?"

"Uh, no Regina, it should be fine. We're happy to have you" Mary Margaret could almost feel Regina's glare through the phone after she said that.

"Do I need to bring anything other than my sanity and well-being?" asked Regina.

"If you wanted to you could"

A smirk came over the older woman's face as she replied "Wonderful! I'll make my famous apple turnovers. I know how much you enjoy them" said Regina as hung up the phone. Mary Margaret let out a sigh before she called her husband.

"David!"

"Yes?"

"Regina's coming"

David walked over to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "This should be fun"

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Thanksgiving day arrived and Regina and Henry pulled up to the Charming's apartment at quarter to 6. They walked up to the apartment and Regina knocked on the door, the door was flung open and they found Emma on the other side.

"Emma!" said Henry as he went to go hug her.

"Hey kid! How are you?" she asked.

'Great, it smells awesome and I'm excited" said the boy as he ran past Emma and into the apartment to greet the Charmings.

"Hello Miss Swan" said Regina as she stepped into the apartment with a Tupperware container in her hands.

"Hi Regina, want me to carry that for you" asked Emma as she closed the door behind the brunette.

"I think I can manage fine" said Regina.

"Regina! Glad you could make it" said Mary Margaret.

"Its my pleasure, Snow." said Regina in a clipped tone.

"The turkey is almost ready, why don't we sit down?" said David as he gestured to the table behind them. He walked up to the head of the table and pulled out the chair for Regina. She handed her container to him as she walked over to the chair.

'Thank you" said Regina as she sat down. Emma then proceeded to sit on her right and Henry sat on her left. Mary Margaret beside Emma and David was next to Henry.

"I think we should all say one thing we are thankful for before we start eating" said Mary Margaret. "Ill start, I'm thankful that we have Emma here with us this year"

Emma looked down at her plate, and when looked back up at her mother with a small smile on her face, she also noticed a strange expression on Regina's face.

"I'm thankful for the food and warm homes we have" said David.

"And I'm thankful that there is no curses, or portals, or wraiths, or flying monkeys" said Henry.

'Wait, flying monkeys exist?" asked Emma.

"No they don't, but I'm just thankful that we don't have any," said Henry with a grin. Everyone laughed. Emma looked down at her plate again as she realized that she was next. "I guess that I'm thankful for Henry, and that I'm able to build a relationship with him and that I have some family now" she said as she looked back up at her parents who had tears in their eyes. She turned to look at Regina who gave her a tight-lipped smile. An awkward silence followed before Regina spoke up.

"If you think I'm going make a nice little speech about all the wonderful things in life, then you are surely more delusional than I thought"

"Okay then, how about we start eating," said David.

"The turkey and seasoning is really good," said Emma.

"Thank you, I'm glad you like it" said Mary Margaret. "Its an old recipe of mine."

Regina let out a snort before quickly schooling her features back into a neutral expression.

"What?" said Emma.

"Its actually an old recipe of mine, I taught you mother how to cook all the food she makes now"

"Actually Regina, I learned how to make pizza on my own" said Mary Margaret.

Regina rolled her eyes as Henry laughed. After about 15 more minutes of small talk the meal was finished up and Regina stood up to start collecting the plates.

"Regina. Its fine, I can clean this up," said David.

"Thank you for your charming offer, but I'm your guest. It's the least I can do," replied Regina with her best politicians smile. The brunette walked to the kitchen and put away the plates in the dishwasher and then walked back to the table.

"Now, time for dessert, I brought my most popular dish," said Regina with a smirk as she brought the container with the apple turnovers to the table. She set the container beside Snow.

"I hope you like it" said Regina as she served the other woman a piece.

"Really Mom?" said Henry as he rolled his own eyes.

"What? Its not as if its poisoned"

Emma laughed as she took a bite of her piece that she had been served. "It is actually pretty good Regina"

"I'm aware of that Miss Swan." A few minutes later the dessert was finished and Mary Margaret and David were cleaning up in the kitchen. Henry was getting his jacket on at the door as Emma walked over to them. "Thanks for coming, I appreciate it"

"It was great Emma," said Henry as he gave his blonde mother a hug. Regina pulled on her own coat and as she was putting on her boots, the Charming came over to her.

"Thank you for coming Regina." said Mary Margaret.

"Yes, thank you," said David.

"You're welcome. The meal was very well done," said Regina.

"Bye Regina" said Emma.

""Goodbye Miss Swan" said Regina as she and Henry walked out. The door closed behind them and as the pair walked down the stairs, Henry leaned into his mother.

"That wasn't too bad, right Mom?" he asked.

"It wasn't perfect but I wouldn't say it was horrible either," said Regina as she wrapped an arm around her son.

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Regina Mills had just finished her shower and was getting ready to get into bed when the phone rang. Wrapping a robe around herself, she walked into her bedroom to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hi" came the voice of the blonde sheriff.

"Miss Swan, to what to I owe the pleasure of this late call?"

"I just wanted to sincerely let you know that I really did appreciate you coming. I know you came for Henry but I'm glad you were there too, and I was able to talk to you."

Regina paused for a few moments before replying "Its quite alright Emma, I'm just glad Henry was happy"

"I noticed you weren't too happy though"

"I did endure 2 hours with your idiot parents"

"There's something else bothering you," said Emma. She didn't hear anything on the other end of the line for a few minutes, and thought that maybe she had crossed the line and the mayor had hung up on her. A second later the brunette replied. "It's hard to be happy when I've never really had much to be thankful for"

"Yeah, I know the feeling all too well" replied the blonde. "Anyways I'm glad you were there Regina"

"So was I Emma." said the brunette as she hung up the phone.

I am SO SORRY that this took so long, but hey life gets busy sometimes. Leave a comment if there is anything you might like to see in the upcoming chapters, and I will try to see if I can incorporate it into the story. Happy Reading!


	5. Chapter 5

A Year In Review

This next chapter is in December. _Flashbacks are italicized._

Regina Mills let out a deep sigh as she woke up on December 5th and saw snow falling from the sky and a layer of it on her windowsill. She hated the cold temperatures and she certainly didn't enjoy that the white fluffy substance was an ever-constant reminder of her nemesis. She sat on the edge of her bed and stared out the window for a moment before her son flew into the room.

"MOM! IT'S SNOWING!" said Henry as he went to go sit, or rather bounce up and down excitedly on the bed beside her.

"Yes Henry, I can see," said Regina with a laugh as she put her arm around him.

"Is there enough snow for you to cancel school?"

"Hmm, I suppose so"

"YEAH!" said Henry as he pumped his fist in the air.

"Ill go call the school and let everyone know, if you want to go outside for a bit you may. Don't forget to dress warm though" said Regina as she stood up.

"Thanks mom, bye" said Henry as he raced out of the room. Regina stood up and walked downstairs. She called the school to notify them about the snow day and sent out a town notice. She then walked downstairs to make breakfast. As she was scrambling some eggs the phone rang, She answered the phone and after about 10 minutes she hung the phone back up and called Henry inside.

"Henry! Come inside please," said Regina as she opened the window in the kitchen and yelled out at him.

"Coming" said the boy as he raced around to the front of the yard and ran inside.

'What's up Mom?"

"Joshua's mother called and wanted to know if you would be interested in going over to his house for the day. Do you want to go?" asked Regina as Henry sat down at the table.

"Yeah, you're sure its okay?"

"Its quite alright, I have some paperwork that I'm behind on anyways. Finish your breakfast and then you can go gather your things"

"Thanks mom, that's great" said Henry as he smiled at her.

"You're welcome," said Regina as she smiled back at him.

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Emma Swan had just gotten the town notice about the school and business closure and decided to go about her usual runs of the city. The snow had been ploughed in the roads but the driveways still were piled high. She managed to get all the snow off her bug and started her drive. She was driving past the mayoral mansion and slowed down when she saw Regina Mills, out shovelling her own driveway. Emma pulled to a stop at the side of the road and got out of the car.

"Regina! What are you doing?" asked Emma as she walked towards the brunette. Regina put down her shovel and looked at Emma. "It would appear Miss Swan, that I am shovelling my driveway."

"No I meant why are you shovelling? It doesn't seem like something that a Queen would do"

"No, it isn't but no one else is going to do it," said Regina as she picked up the shovel and resumed her task.

"Aren't you tired"?

"I have a lot of stamina, I'll be fine," replied Regina. Emma turned and walked over to her car and opened the trunk. She pulled out a shovel that she had put in there that morning and walked back towards Regina.

"I said I was fine Miss Swan, I don't need your help" said the brunette as she looked up.

"Yeah well too bad, I'm going to help you anyways," said Emma as she started shovelling beside Regina.

"Where's Henry?" asked the blonde.

"He's at his friends house for the day."

"What are you doing today"?

"I have some paperwork to finish up at the office," replied Regina.

"You're going to work on a snow day?" said Emma with an incredulous look on her face.

"Its just the same as any other day. Are you not going to work Miss Swan?"

"Yeah, but its just rounds, and anyway's David's on call today. I'm going to finish my rounds and then go relax." Regina gave a look at the blonde before they both returned to the task. After about five minutes the shovelling was all done and the shovels were put away.

"Thank you for helping Emma" said Regina as she turned to go get into her car.

"Wait Regina!"

"Yes?"

"I know you said it was on your terms but do you think we could have a magic lesson today? And then after you could just relax."

"Teaching you magic is certainly not relaxing," said Regina as she crossed her arms.

"Yeah, but its better than doing paperwork" said Emma. "C'mon Regina, you work hard all the time, you deserve to just take it slow once in a while"

A look of sympathy and a small smile flickered over the brunettes face before her features returned to normal. "Very well, we can practice your levitation spells again"

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Emma and Regina had just finished up with the magic lesson and they were sitting in Regina's study. The brunette had made coffee and they chatted about the town and Regina shared some of Henry's childhood stories.

"Hey, I have a question?" asked Emma after Regina had just told her about teaching Henry how to read.

"Yes?"

"Did you have Christmas in the Enchanted Forest? I know its random but I was just wondering about that," said Emma.

"Yes, we did, although it was a bit different then the Christmas that you would be used too."

"How so?" asked Emma as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Well on Christmas Eve there would be a large ball held at the castle, there would be plays held that afternoon, and on Christmas Day there would be a grand feast of celebration and gift-giving. Actually if I think about we had roast swan for our Christmas meal" said Regina as she gave a smirk at the blonde. The blonde rolled her eyes in amusement.

"Do you enjoy Christmas?" asked Emma.

"I suppose so, although I would have to say I enjoyed it more when Henry came along and I got to spend it with him" said the brunette as she gave a small smile at the blonde. "Any interesting Christmas tales of your own Miss Swan?"

"Not really. Christmas wasn't so much a holiday for me but rather a reminder of how little I had and how alone I was in the world" said Emma as she looked down at the floor. Regina sat in silence for a minute before replying;

"I didn't realize…"

"No, its okay, Its really not a big deal" said Emma as she stood up to leave. "I should probably do another set of rounds"

'Alright, bye Emma" said Regina as she stood up to see Emma out.

Shorter chapter this time but I'm trying how to figure out how to write the actual Christmas scenes. My muse isn't very creative at the moment :) Hopefully this is alright for now though. Reviews are always greatly appreciated, Happy Reading!


	6. Chapter 6

A Year In Review

This next chapter is in December. It starts off where the last chapter ended, with Emma leaving Regina's house. TW: Abuse. _Flashbacks are italicized._

Regina Mills leaned against the door after it closed behind the blonde. She stood there for a minute before straightening herself up, and walking towards the couch in the living room. She sat down and ran her hands through her hair. When Emma had told her about her childhood, Regina had experienced a feeling that she hadn't felt for anyone except Henry, and that was guilt. She had never felt guilty before about the blonde but then she hadn't realized just how big a role she had played in the woman's childhood. Of course the infuriating Charming's could have not decided to put their daughter through a portal but she knew she would have killed Emma right away had she been given the chance. Actually when the blonde had first come to the town she would have ended her too. And now what point where they at in a relationship? Friends? They got along and she also realized she didn't mind having the blonde as company. She sighed as she pondered what to do about the Sheriff that constantly wanted to talk and spend company with her. Regina decided finally, that maybe having the blonde as an acquaintance wasn't a terrible idea, but that didn't mean she was going to pour her soul out to this woman. She would be friendly and polite, but keep an acceptable distance. She didn't need to be hurt anymore than she already was.

Emma gripped her hand on the steering wheel as she drove through the streets of Storybrooke. She couldn't believe that she had just told Regina about her past. And what was more, she couldn't believe that she had seen a small, almost unnoticeable flicker of guilt on the brunette's face. Regina, the Evil Queen, actually felt guilty about something. Of course, she wasn't totally sure it was a look of guilt; it could have been pity, because it was absurd to think that Regina cared about her right? That someone didn't depend on her to save the day yet cared about her wellbeing. Emma pulled into the driveway of the apartment and parked the car. In the months since Regina had saved them from the portal, they had started to become friends, and she craved to talk to Regina everyday. She wasn't really sure why, except she just knew that Regina wasn't judgemental and when you got to know her was actually a pleasant person to talk to. But then again Emma didn't really know Regina all that well, except for when the brunette had opened up to her once. Emma decided she was going to see if maybe she couldn't try to tear Regina's walls down and unravel the mysteriously complex woman underneath.

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A week later, it was Friday, and Emma was on her way to drop Henry off at Regina's house. The two women had decided that if Emma was going to be picking Henry up every day after school then Emma should have a key to the mayoral mansion. The pair walked up to the door and Emma unlocked it as they stepped inside.

"Mom! I'm home!" said Henry as he pulled off his jacket and his boots. They waited for the brunette to walk down the stairs or come from around the kitchen. They didn't hear the familiar click of heels coming from either direction.

"Did your mom say she wasn't going to be here today?" asked Emma.

'No, she should be home, she would call or leave a note if she had an emergency" said Henry as he walked into the kitchen. Suddenly they heard footsteps coming from beside the kitchen, and the brunette appeared in the entrance to the kitchen carrying two boxes.

"I'm here, I was just in the basement collecting the Christmas decorations." said Regina as she placed the boxes down on the floor.

"Hi mom" said Henry as he went to go give her a hug, "Are we going to start decorating today?"

"Yes, that was the plan," said Regina as she smiled down at him.

"Can Emma help us?" asked Henry.

"Miss Swan probably has a lot of other important stuff to do "

"I don't want to intrude," said the two women at the same time.

"Oh, sorry for asking, I just thought it would be nice," said Henry with a sigh.

"It would, but you should ask next time before assuming that Miss Swan is free," said Regina.

"Well are you free Emma?" asked Henry as he looked hopefully at her.

"No, but this sounds like something you two should do together" said Emma as she shuffled her feet.

"Miss Swan, if you would like to join us it would be fine, plus there is heavier boxes left downstairs that you could bring up for us" said Regina with a smile.

"Um sure, thanks Regina"

"The rest of the boxes are just under the stairs going down to the basement on the left"

"Alright ill go grab them," said Emma as she opened the door to the basement.

'Thanks for letting her stay and help" said Henry as they walked into the living room.

"Not a problem Henry, just ask next time," said Regina as they began unpacking the boxes. A few minutes later Emma reappeared with the rest of the boxes. After Emma set up the tree, the trio began decorating it. Henry showed Emma all his favourite ornaments and got wrapped up in the tinsel. The two women laughed.

"This is fun," said Emma as she smiled at Regina. The brunette smiled back at her. They were putting the last finishing touches on the tree when Regina asked Emma if she would like to put the star on top of the tree.

"Really"? said Emma with a shocked look on her face.

"Yeah Emma! " said Henry.

"Well you're quite tall enough and if you do it then I don't need to grab a chair," said Regina.

"Wow, okay, thanks," said Emma with a grin.

"Its just a star Miss Swan," replied Regina.

"Not to me" mumbled Emma as she placed the star on the tree.

"It looks great," said Henry.

"Yes it does, thanks for the help Emma," said Regina.

They finished decorating the rest of the mansion and the last step was placing the wreath on the door and the lights outside.

"This looks so cool," said Henry.

"It looks so cozy," said Emma.

"Yes, well Christmas is the one time of the year when I actually enjoy my home," said Regina. Emma glanced at the brunette with a questioning look but decided not to push it further.

" I guess is should get going, thanks for inviting me" said Emma.

"It was fun having you this year," said Henry as he went to go hug her.

"Yes it was quite nice," said Regina as she smiled at the blonde.

"Kid, why don't you go inside, I want to talk to your mom for a sec" said Emma as she untangled herself from her son,

"Yeah, okay bye Emma!" said Henry as he waved goodbye and went inside.

"What do you need to tell me Emma? " said Regina as she looked at the blonde.

"Thank you for letting me help. You didn't have to but this year you let me be a part of you tradition and I greatly appreciate it because I never celebrated Christmas with a family when I was younger, and you gave me the chance to do that this year. So thank you Regina."

A pang of guilt ran through the brunette as she looked down at the ground.

"You're welcome, Henry enjoyed having you over" said Regina.

"Did you enjoy having me over" questioned the blonde.

"I suppose so," said Regina as she turned around and shut the door behind her.

Emma stood facing the door fro a minute before turning and walking down the path to her bug. If she was going to get through Regina's walls she was going to have to be more persistent.

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As flurries of snow fell through Storybrooke the town became a flurry of activity. It was 3 days before Christmas and people were rushing to make plans, buy gifts and cook meals. Emma had just finished her patrol for the day and was ready to go relax when a small boy came running up to her.

"Henry! Hi!" said Emma as she hugged him.

"Hey Emma!" replied Henry.

"What's up?"

"I was just going to go buy my mom a present, I have a really cool idea this year!" said Henry.

"What are you getting her?" asked Emma.

"Not telling" responded Henry in a tone that matched his brunette mother's.

"Do you think I should get her something?"

"I don't know, she usually doesn't get gifts on Christmas so it might be nice for her to get something else"

"Oh, okay," said Emma. "You're coming over to Mary Margaret's for Christmas dinner right?"

"Yep, I'm spending Christmas Eve and morning/afternoon with my mom and then I'm coming over" said Henry with a smile. "I'm excited, Christmas is my favourite holiday"

"Well you should be excited, Mary Margaret and David went a little bit overboard," replied the blonde.

Henry laughed, "I gotta go buy this gift, see ya later Emma" said the boy as he ran off.

"Bye Henry!" said Emma as she waved in return. She walked to her car and proceeded to think about what Regina might like as a gift, Suddenly and idea popped into her head, and she got in her car to go and get a Christmas gift for the Mayor.

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Regina Mills woke on up on Christmas Eve morning with a on her face as she remembered what day it was. She got up and went downstairs to prepare Henry's favourite breakfast and waited for him to wake up. Her son had developed her habit of waking up early in the morning and a few minutes later appeared in the kitchen.

"Pancakes and French toast?" he asked as she gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"As always" said Regina with a smile. "Want to help me?"

"Sure" replied Henry as he grabbed some eggs and flour to start on the pancake batter.

"So Henry, how come you were half an hour late coming home from Joshua's yesterday?" asked Regina as she turned on the oven.

"Oh we just lost track of time," said Henry as he mixed the batter in a bowl.

Regina raised an eyebrow at him. "You forget I raised you and I know exactly when you're lying."

"Okay, fine I was out buying your Christmas gift and I ran into Emma, but that was it."

"I suppose that's fine, just call me next time to let me know." said Regina as she grabbed slices of bread for the toast.

"Alright, sorry" said Henry. The pair continued cooking breakfast and then sat down together to eat it. After breakfast was finished they went for a walk around Storybrooke where they ran into other residents and made small talk. They walked down by the docks and then made their way back to Mifflin street. As Regina was unlocking the door she felt something hit her back. She turned around to see her son standing with a snowball in his hand and smiling at her.

"Oh dear, you're going to regret that" she said with a smirk as she conjured up a snowball of her own. Henry laughed as he ducked behind a snow-covered bush just as the snowball flew past him.

"Missed me!" he said as another snowball hit her jacket. As he was busy bending down to create his next snowball, he got hit in the leg.

"Don't underestimate my snowball-fighting skills" said Regina with a laugh.

This went back and forth for a few minutes before they became tired and both mother and son fell down laughing on the ground. They went inside and Regina made two cups of hot chocolate to warm them up as they went to go sit on the couch in the living room. Henry went to the cupboard beside the television and pulled out the _The Polar Express_. They settled down to watch the movie and after it was finished they sat and talked for a while.

"Hey mom?"  
"Yes Henry?"

"What did you do for Christmas in the Enchanted Forest?"

Regina paused in thought for a moment before replying, "We had balls and a huge dinner on Christmas Eve and we did exchange presents. The royals would also ride through the villages and visit the villagers."

"Did you like going to balls?" asked Henry

 _Regina sat reading a book in the main parlour of their house when the book suddenly disappeared from her hands and she looked up to see Cora looking down at her._

" _Regina, why are you not getting ready for the Christmas Ball tonight?"_

" _Oh, Mother, do I have to go? They're never fun and all I do is stand around and talk awkwardly with people." Regina realized what a stupid response that had been when she felt her throat being tightened and her body rising up from the chair._

" _You will be going to the ball and you will enjoy it. How else are we supposed to find you a prince to marry?" Regina let out a cough in response as she struggled to breathe._

" _Are you going to behave or will I have to drag you there?" asked Cora as her grip became stronger._

" _I'll be good, I promise," croaked Regina as she was let down gently back onto the chair._

" _That's my girl," said Cora._

"They were not fun for me, I didn't really like to dance" replied Regina as the memory flashed in front of her eyes.

"Oh. I don't really like dancing either. It was a lot of fun hanging out with you today" he said, as he turned sideways on the couch to smile at her.

"Thank you Henry" said Regina as she smiled back at him.

I am so sorry that I haven't updated this story in a while. Unfortunately I came down with a stomach flu that lasted about a week and I've been busy with holiday festivities. I originally was going to put the Christmas Day part into this chapter but I figured it would be better if I uploaded something now and then the Christmas Day part in a few days. I apologize again for the long wait. Reviews are always appreciated. Happy Reading!


	7. Chapter 7

A Year In Review

This next chapter is in December. Starts on the morning of Christmas Day. _Flashbacks are italicized._

Emma Swan turned over in her bed as the scent of bacon wafted through the air. She groggily opened her eyes, and as they focused she was able to make out two figures standing above her bed. She let out a scream before she realized it was only her parents looking at her with an amused expression.

"Emma, its only us, don't worry" said Mary Margaret as she walked over to sit on the edge of Emma's bed.

"We just came to see if you were up. Breakfast is ready and there's presents ready to be opened," mentioned David as he leaned against the doorframe.

"I appreciate the gesture but you know a knock on the door would be nice," said Emma as she sat up in bed.

Mary Margaret bit her lip. "Yeah, sorry about that. We'll be waiting downstairs when you're ready. Merry Christmas!"

"Alright, I'll be down in a few minutes, Merry Christmas to you too" replied Emma. Mary Margaret gave Emma a smile as she walked out and David followed behind.

Emma sat in her bed for a few more minutes before she stood up. She went to go grab a pair of jeans from her drawer when she smirked and gave a flick of her wrist. She looked at herself in the mirror and was pleased to see that her magic had worked perfectly and her hair had even been done up. She walked downstairs and found her parents seated at the kitchen island.

"That was quick," remarked Mary Margaret as Emma appeared in the kitchen.

"Oh I just used magic to get dressed. It makes it much easier to get ready in the morning" said Emma.

"Hmm, sounds nice," replied Mary Margaret.

"So do we want to do presents or eat breakfast first?" asked David.

"Presents of course!" said Emma as she went to go sit over near the tree.

David and Mary Margaret followed behind her and took a seat in the living room.

"I, uh, have one for you guys," said Emma as she held up a moderately sized and nicely wrapped box. Mary Margaret took the box from Emma and began to gingerly unwrap the box as David groaned.

"What?" asked the brunette as she turned to face her husband. "We need to save the wrapping!"

David just rolled his eyes in response.

"It's a toaster, since I kinda broke your other one when I made toast a few weeks ago" sheepishly said Emma.

"Oh, this is great thank you Emma!" said Mary Margaret as she gave her daughter a hug. "We have one for you too, but it's not under the tree"

"Where is it?"

"Check your closet" said David with a wink. Emma went upstairs and opened her closet to reveal a dark green leather jacket.

"Oh my gosh, this is great!" said the blonde as she pulled the jacket on.

"It really brings out your eyes," said Mary Margaret as she placed a hand on Emma's shoulder.

"Thank you, this is one of the best Christmas gifts I've ever gotten" smiled Emma as her parents wrapped her in another hug. They spent the rest of the day chatting and spending time together and then later that afternoon started preparing for Christmas dinner.

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Regina Mills woke up on Christmas morning to find another body beside her in bed.

"Its Christmas!" yelled Henry. Regina went to reprimand him from yelling in the house but decided against it, instead she gave him a smile.

"Yes Henry, I'm quite aware of the fact. Go wait downstairs, I need to get dressed and I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Okay" said Henry as he raced downstairs. Regina went to go open her closet when she decided to stay in her sleepwear and made her way downstairs.

"You're not dressed," remarked Henry as she sat down beside him.

"I didn't feel like it, plus its more comfy" she replied as she wrapped an arm around him.

"I wanna give you your gift first" said Henry as he went to go pick up a small box from under the tree and handed it to her. Regina carefully unwrapped the gift and gasped as she held it up.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it Henry, its wonderful," said Regina as she placed the silver necklace with a small horse charm around her slender neck. She gave him a hug as he went to go fetch his own gift. He carefully unwrapped his own gift and found a shining copy of the storybook.

"This is great mom, thanks!" exclaimed Henry.

"Well it was looking a bit worn and tattered so I made a new cover and rebounded the pages." she said with a smile. "Of course, there's still other presents if you want to open those up too" she mentioned as she winked at him.

'Yeah!" shouted the boy. After Henry finished opening the gifts, Regina made their favourite breakfast and then the pair took a walk around town. They spent the rest of the day laughing and being in each other's company.

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Henry Mills jumped out of his mother's car as they arrived at the Charming's apartment. The pair walked up to the door and knocked and Emma answered it.

"Regina! Henry! Merry Christmas!" said the blonde as she opened the door wider.

"Hey Emma!" said Henry as he gave her a hug and raced inside.

"Merry Christmas Miss Swan" said Regina as Emma looked back up at her.

"Uh, thanks Regina. Do you want to stay for a bit?"

"No I should be getting home. I am tired and I would like to rest for a bit"

"Oh okay well thanks for dropping him off," said Emma with a smile.

"It was no problem" replied Regina as she gave a small smile back to the blonde, turned on her heel and got back into her car and drove away. Emma watched the car pull out of the driveway and then turned back to the apartment, when she entered she found Henry sitting on the floor with a present in his hands, and Mary Margaret carefully instructing him on how to open the present without ripping it.

"I know, I know," replied Henry with a laugh. "Mom always tells me the same thing"

Mary Margaret smiled as Henry finished opening it.

"Cool! A racecar! "exclaimed the boy after the wrapping had been shed.

"I saw in the store and thought that I would have wanted one when I was a young boy so I figured it would be a good gift for you" said David.

"Thanks! Its great"

"I have to go somewhere, I'll be right back" said Emma as she stood up.

"Where are you going?" asked Mary Margaret.

"To see a friend," replied the blonde as she disappeared in a cloud of grey smoke.

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Emma obviously didn't plan to end up in the Mayor's living room but her magic was still a bit wonky and well technically it wasn't trespassing since she already had a key.

"Your magic may have improved but your manners certainly haven't Miss Swan."

Emma whipped around to see Regina walking down the stairs from the second floor. Except this wasn't the Regina she was used to. The snark was still there but gone was the makeup, the stiffness, the tight outfits and heels. The brunette instead was wearing a pair of sweatpants, a ratty old t-shirt, fuzzy socks, and her hair was pulled up into a messy updo.

"Are you going to stand there and gawk or explain why you decided to appear in my living room without consent?" said Regina as she reached the bottom of the staircase and crossed her arms.

"Well, honestly it was because I noticed Mary Margaret reminding Henry to save the wrapping paper, which was a habit he picked up from you, so I just thought that you would be lonely." said Emma as she shrugged.

"You forget, most of the life skills that woman learned were taught to her by me." pointed out Regina as she went to go sit on the couch. Emma stayed rooted to her spot in the middle of the room.

"Well, come sit. I don't expect you're going to leave anytime soon"

"I was going to ask if you wanted to come to the apartment," said Emma as she took a seat beside the brunette on the couch. She flicked her wrist as the wood in the fireplace started crackling.

"Thank you. And no, as you can probably see I wasn't planning on leaving my house tonight, and I do not want to go anywhere."

"You look nice though"

Regina turned and raised her eyebrow at the blonde.

"What! You do! I've never seen you look this relaxed before. You don't look as stressed either. Its refreshing." replied Emma.

"Well its nice to see someone cares. Although being the sheriff I suppose its just your duty to care about others" said Regina with sarcasm and a hint of sadness.

"It doesn't have anything to do with that. I care about you Regina because I thought we were friends."

Regina's fist clenched and then relaxed as she looked up at the blonde with a shocked expression on her face. "Really?"

"Yes. You're one of the few people that I've been comfortable talking too in my life and I'm not afraid to share things with you. I mean we already share a son. Plus, I didn't know how many friends you had in this town and thought you would like one" said Emma as her eyes locked with Regina's.

"I'm positive Miss Swan, you do not want me to be a friend of yours."

"Why not?" countered the blonde. "And if you say because of the things you've done I'll scream. I don't care. Sure okay they may come back to haunt us sometime but I don't care, I just want to…"

"You want to what?" said Regina as she crossed her arms again.

Before Emma knew what was happening her lips had met the brunette's and for a second she swore Regina kissed her back. But then a shot of magic hit her chest and she fell off the couch and landed on the floor. She looked up to see Regina standing above her with her hands at her sides, magic crackling at her fingertips.

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE" yelled Regina as she threw Emma farther until the blonde hit the front door.

"Regina, I'm sorry, I shouldn't ha..." The blonde coughed as she was lifted up by the throat and her back pressed against the door.

"If you ever set foot in my house again Miss Swan, or try to talk to me, or approach me ever again, I will destroy you if it is the absolute last thing I do. " said the brunette in an eerily calm but sharp voice. The door opened and Emma was thrown into the street. The last thing she saw before her head hit the pavement was Regina's dark eyes glaring at her and then her vision went black.

I'm terrible at updating and I'm so sorry. My life just has gotten so busy and I completely forgot about this story. The next chapter will be up by next weekend.


	8. Chapter 8

A Year In Review

This next chapter is in January. It takes place a week after Christmas. _Flashbacks are italicized._

"Emma, did you even hear what I just said?" asked the brunette sitting beside Emma Swan.

"Sorry Ruby, what did you say?" replied the blonde as she took a sip of her cocoa.

"Regina just walked in with Henry and she looked at you," said Ruby as she tilted her head in the direction of the pair. Emma shifted slightly in the booth at Granny's as she slowly turned her head. Regina and Henry were seated at the barstools, and they were flipping through the menus. Regina's back was to Emma, and she was laughing about something with Henry. She caught a snippet of the conversation as she craned her neck in that direction.

"Henry, dear, your shirt is on backwards" came the silky smooth voice of the brunette.

"You didn't tell me before we left the house" shrugged Henry as he flips a page.

"I didn't notice it when we left the house" replies Regina as she gives him a half-hearted glare.

"You're my mom, and that's what moms are supposed to do" pointedly says Henry.

"Is that so?"

He gives one of his own smirks before replying, "Yeah, duh."

Regina lets out a laugh as she gently cups his cheek. "Alright young man, do you think you could tone down the sass long enough to order?" She motions at Granny to come over and when the older woman arrives at where they are sitting, Henry places his order.

"I'm going to have pancakes and hot chocolate with cinnamon, please," he says.

"And I'll have a small coffee and an omelette without onions" says Regina as she gives back the menu. Emma Swan realizes she'd been listening for far too long when she mutters the brunette's order at the same time under her breath.

"So you still haven't told me why you and Regina aren't talking," mentioned Ruby as Emma turned back to face her.

"Its not a big deal, I just did something stupid" shrugged Emma.

"So it wasn't because Regina is relapsing? She's not going to go back to being a crazy psycho bitch is she?"

The blonde rolled her eyes as she replied, "She's not a crazy psycho bitch and she's not relapsing. I just overstepped some boundaries."

"That's kind of understandable then, why she would be upset. That woman has so many walls," remarked Ruby as she stood up to leave. "Good luck though!"

"With what?" asked Emma.

"Getting back on her good side" said Ruby as she smiled and left. Emma looked back at Regina to see her staring at the blonde with a puzzled look on her face before it vanished and the brunette gave a look of disgust and resumed talking with her son.

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Saturday morning, Emma Swan knocked on the door of 108 Mifflin Street, and Henry answered it.

"Hey Emma!" said the boy as he opened the door wider and let her step into the foyer.

"Is your mom home kid?" asked the blonde.

"Yeah, she's in her study, do you want to talk to her?"

"Nah, its good. Go grab your jacket and then we can get going." said the blonde as Henry raced up the stairs to his room. She stood still listening for the familiar click of heels but they never came. She heard a faint "I love you" before Henry ran back to meet her.

"You ready?"

"Yep" said Henry as he opened the door and the pair walked out. "So when are you going to talk to my mom?"

Emma stopped and stared at Henry for a moment before replying, "Whenever she's ready I guess. I'm not going to go and aggravate her."

"Can you at least tell me what you did?" asked Henry as they approached the car. Emma walked around to the other side as they both got in.

"I just did something that she wasn't expecting and I shocked her" explained Emma as she buckled her seatbelt.

"You know my mom hates surprises. She finds them threatening."

"Yeah, I got that kid. Put on your seatbelt." After she heard Henry's seatbelt click into place he spoke up again.

"My mom isn't going to come and talk to you, you're going to have to go and take the first step " mentioned Henry. "If she really was mad at you, she wouldn't let you take me out for ice cream."

Emma turned to look at him and rolled her eyes as she looked back at the road. "When did you become such an expert on your mom?"

"When I lived with her for the past 10 years" shrugged Henry.

"Point taken," said Emma as they pulled into the parking lot at Granny's. 20 minutes later they exited the diner and Emma drove Henry back to Mifflin Street.

"Are you sure you don't want to come in?" asked the boy.

"I'll come in some other time," said Emma as she waved and turned around to leave.

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Henry walked into his house to find his Mom vacuuming the living room. He waved his hands to get her attention and she leaned down to shut off the vacuum and walked towards him.

"Henry!" How was the ice cream?" asked the brunette as he gave her a hug.

"It was good, I tried strawberry instead of chocolate this time and I liked it. I think next time I go I want to try pistachio though!"

"Mhm, do you want to go set the table?" said Regina as she gave him a small smile.

"Yeah for sure, also Emma wanted me to tell you that the lock on the sheriffs department door might be broken." mentioned the boy as he went to go grab plates and utensils.

"Oh is it?" replied Regina as she turned to face away from him.

"Yeah, I don't know maybe you should talk to her about it"

"Don't forget to out the salt and pepper on the table." said Regina as she turned around to leave.

Short chapter but don't worry, the next chapter has a big event and Regina and Emma will finally have a chat. Reviews are always greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

A Year In Review

This next chapter is in January. _Flashbacks are italicized._

"Hey Henry, did you study for our spelling quiz tomorrow" asked Henry's friend Joshua as they walked through the halls of Storybrooke Elementary.

"Yeah I did, I'm not too worried" replied Henry as they entered into the classroom.

"I feel sick to my stomach" mentioned Joshua. As soon as they were settled in their seats, and the rest of the children filed in, Mary Margaret began to speak:

"As most of you know, there's a spelling quiz today. It's not too long, and it shouldn't be difficult if you studied for it."

"Ugh" groaned Joshua as he turned to look at Henry.

"Don't worry Josh, it'll be fine. Just please don't throw up on me" replied Henry.

Joshua laughed as Mary Margaret came around with the quizzes. Once the quizzes were placed on the boy's desks, they flipped them over and started writing. Eight minutes into the quiz, Joshua heard a strangled cough coming from behind him, and turned around to see Henry Mills throw up into the aisle between the desks.

"And I thought I was sick to my stomach" said Joshua.

"Ew that's gross" said a girl on the other side of the room.

"Henry!" exclaimed Mary Margaret as she ran over to him. "Joshua, why don't you take Henry down to the office, I'll call his mom and let her know."

"Alright, c'mon Henry lets go," said Joshua as he stood up to walk Henry out of the class. They arrived at the office and Joshua told the secretary that Henry's mom had already been called. Then they sat together and waited for her to show up.

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Emma Swan arrived at Storybrooke Elementary 10 minutes after she got the call from Mary Margaret.

"Henry! How are you?" she said as she walked up to where he was sitting with his friend.

"Bye Henry, hope ya feel better," said Joshua as he left to go back to class.

Henry waved at him before replying to Emma. "My stomach hurts and I have a headache, why are you here?"

"Mary Margaret called me and said you threw up in class"

"Oh, because she said she was going to call my mom," said Henry as he looked down at his feet.

"Crap, sorry kid. I don't really know what to do though so I was going to take you to her anyways." shrugged Emma.

"Really?" asked Henry as he stood up.

"Yeah, lets go," said Emma as they walked out of Storybrooke Elementary.

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Regina Mills opened her door to see the blonde sheriff anxiously swaying back and forth on the porch.

"Well, well, Miss Swan, did you forget my threat? Or did you come here with the intention of getting killed?" said the brunette as her lip curled up into a snarl.

"Regina cut it out, Henry's sick and I don't know what to do. He fell asleep in the car on the way here and I didn't want to wake him up" explained Emma. Regina gasped as she ran out towards the yellow bug.

"Should we wake him?" asked Emma.

"No, I'll just transport him," said Regina as she gave a flick of her wrist and the three of them found themselves in Henry's bedroom. Henry was laid down on the bed and Regina went to go sit beside him as Emma stood awkwardly in the doorway.

"Henry dear, can you wake up," said the brunette in a hushed tone as she gently tapped his shoulder. The boy's eyes slowly fluttered open before he responded in a croaky voice. "Hi mom"

"What happened?" asked Regina as she placed her hand on his forehead.

"I was fine, then I felt really sick. I'm hot too" coughed back Henry.

"Okay, I'm going to go get you some ginger ale and a cold cloth, I'll be right back." Regina stood up and walked downstairs to the kitchen as Emma followed behind her.

"Is he going to be okay?" asked Emma as she leaned against the counter.

"Yes, he just has a stomach flu, it should be gone in about a week. " replied Regina as she opened the fridge and grabbed a can of ginger ale. "How come I wasn't called to the school?"

"Uh, Mary Margaret told the secretary that she was going to call Henry's mom but I guess she didn't specify which one."

Regina's grip on the can tightened before she took a deep breath and exhaled. "I see. Well thank you for bringing him to me."

"No problem" shrugged Emma. "I had no clue what to do anyways. Usually when I'm sick I just stay home and eat chicken noodle soup. "

"If you would like to help, you could grab a cloth from the drawer beside the sink, and wet it with cold water" mentioned Regina as she popped open the can and poured it into the cup.

"Okay" said Emma as she got the cloth and ran it under the tap. "What's it for?"

"He has a fever, so it will help cool him down" explained Regina as she took the cup and walked back towards the staircase. Emma followed behind her and reached Henry's bedroom to find the bed empty. They then heard a vomiting sound coming from the bathroom. They opened the door to see Henry sitting on the ground near the toilet. Emma gave a look of disgust as Regina kneeled down beside him.

"Sorry" meekly responded Henry.

"It's okay dear," said Regina as she ran her hand through his hair. Henry leaned forward towards the toilet again and when he was done, he went to go sit against the bathtub. Regina moved over to where he was and sat beside him.

"Do you think you can handle some fluids right now?" gently asked the brunette as she held out the cup of ginger ale. Henry nodded as he took the cup from her hand.

"Uh, do you need this?" said Emma as she walked over to where they were and gave the cloth to Regina.

"Yes, thank you Emma." said Regina as she took the cloth and laid it against Henry's forehead. Emma stood and watched the scene for a minute. She would have given anything to have mother who treated her like this. She also felt a pang of guilt.

" _I hope there is no misunderstanding here. "_

" _I'm sorry?"_

" _Don't mistake all this as an invitation back into his life. "_

" _Oh, I…"_

" _Miss Swan, you made a decision 10 years ago, and in the last decade while you've been… well who knows what you've been doing. I've changed every diaper, soothed every fever, and endured every tantrum. You may have given birth to him but he is my son."_

" _Do you love him?"_

" _Excuse me?"_

" _Henry. Do you love him?_

" _Of course I love him."_

She looked at the way Regina leaned into him and felt ashamed she had ever asked that question. She felt ashamed for trying to pull Henry away from Regina when she had first arrived here. She let out a sigh as Henry and Regina got up from the bathroom floor.

"You should rest for a bit now Henry" said Regina as they walked back into his bedroom. Henry nodded as he climbed into bed and Regina tucked him in. She gave him a kiss on his forehead and shut the lights off as she walked out and closed the door behind him.

"Uh, could we talk Regina?" said Emma as they walked back down the staircase.

"I appreciate you bringing him here and helping him out but the only reason I didn't incinerate you is because I needed to put Henry first. My threat still stands. Now please, get out of my house," said Regina in a sharp voice.

"Regina, please. I'm really sorry but I need to talk to you. Can you listen to me for once?" pleaded Emma.

A fireball appeared in Regina's hands as she spoke again. "Miss Swan, I do think it would be in your best interest to get the hell out."

"Fine, okay. Keep deflecting. You can't just keep avoiding a subject; it just grows into a bigger problem. If you want to act like a child, go ahead Regina. I don't want to play games with you anymore," said Emma as she waved her arms and disappeared in a cloud of grey smoke. Regina let out a frustrated growl as the mirror behind her shattered.

Thanks for reading! Reviews are always greatly appreciated!


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